I read with a greater interest all of the three columns by Syed Shahabuddin on partition of India. His analysis was very balanced and indeed factual. Every sentence echoed my feeling and the feelings of a greater majority that partition was a grave mistake and led to a colossal loss for all of the communities and more so for the Indian Muslims.
Shahabuddin has very rightly concluded that the organic unity of different Muslim communities had been sacrificed at the altar of politics. In fact, I agree more with his latter argument that it was more to do with the selfish interest of the Muslim elite or the hurt ego of an individual. It is unimaginable that the Muslim leadership of that time was so self-centered and possessed to gain control over power that they just did not allow any thought process to cultivate or listen to the voices opposed to partition. One of the glaring examples of their thoughtless approach was the attempt to have East Bengal that has no congruous borders and lying thousands of miles away from the mainland in the folds of Pakistan. It was destined to fail and unfortunately that partition also resulted in mass killings, violence and wider destruction of property.
It is a hard fact that sectarian riots and disturbances in Pakistan are not lesser than what has been witnessed in India. Despite having a common religious ground, the different communities remained divided on other grounds: Sects, language, regions etc. Whatever the form of government, the feudal and capital forces never allowed the masses to grow and prosper. The compounded effect of differences and discrimination resulted in weaker governance and allowed the militants to gain strength. Certainly, a united India would have been more powerful in dealing with such issues and not only the subcontinent, but, the whole South Asian region would have progressed and prospered faster. — Safi H. Jannaty, Dammam
